The Detroit
Free Press is reporting that the National Highway Traffic and Safety
Administration has closed the books on its investigation into reports
of unintended acceleration in 2005-08 Toyota
Tacoma pickups. The federal
agency says it couldn't find signs of a defect
in the mid-size pickup.
NHTSA released
a statement about its Tacoma investigation, saying, "For
those vehicles where the throttle control system did not perform as the
owner believes it should have, the information suggesting a possible
defect related to motor vehicle safety is quite limited. Additional investigation
is unlikely to result in a finding that a defect related to motor vehicle
safety exists."
The Tacoma
uses a drive-by-wire throttle system that replaces a physical connection
between the accelerator and throttle with an electronic connection.
Toyota says its system was designed to report an error if the accelerator
pedal and throttle are mismatched. No error codes have been found
in Tacomas where the issue has been reported.
